Iceland Iceland and IcelandAir bad Photographer Contest

The daily trees photo

Iceland Iceland

Land of volcanoes that can eat small villages and occasionally disrupt global air travel. Sobering to think of that in this the year of our Lord 2026 when all global energy prices are through the roof. 

Thanks to RantWoman's volcano video habit, YouTube has previously sent RantWoman assorted tourism themed videos. Based on these videos, RantWoman has formed the impression that Iceland is very interesting geologically and if one wants to chase the aurora borealis. Also, nature is gorgeous but experiencing it can be challenging.  The weather is to put it diplomatically unpredictable. And travel is EXPENSIVE. 

Part of RantWoman's fun has been elaborating and adjusting that impression as well, repeatedly, as asking Google / Gemini questions and coming back with answers that keep RantWoman coming back for more and even thinking about how travel to Iceland can be affordable for many categories of travelers. More in a moment, in a few cases just RantWoman's queries replicated for readers to do their own next steps.

Land of many summits of world leaders. RantWoman is the kind of nerd tourist who might go to and even enthusiastically participate in a half day or even a full day opportunity to replay one of the summits held in Rekjavik. RantWoman has not gone looking to see for sure whether such a tourist attraction might exist but would seriously consider participating in it if it existed.

Land of many churches interesting to photograph, not just the famous tall one in Rekjavik.

what churches can one visit in iceland - Google Search

 Land of lots of hot springs and geothermal energy. Lots of the videos talk about people renting cars to travel independently. If RantWoman is travelling alone, renting a car or even a camper is not really an option. Global fuel prices are forecast to stay high for quite a while so RantWoman has wondered about but not researched, what is the electric vehicle scene like in Iceland. Is there geothermal electricity generation? Is that ubiquitous enough that people could simply plug cars in at every stop and charge without needing special charging stations? Is this whole paragraph just a dream that might need to be more fully realized

Land where one can't name their child Harriet? The short answer: a concept near to RantWoman's language nerd hear, to wit noun declension.

why can t you name your child harriet in iceland - Google Search

Icelandic girls can't be called Harriet, government tells family | Iceland | The Guardian

Iceland parents told children cannot be called Harriet or Duncan because they are not government approved names | The Independent | The Independent

Icelandic Naming Committee - Wikipedia

RantWoman did it. RantWoman submitted a VERY barebones video entry saying basically, RantWoman has a lot to say and cramming it all into a one-minute video is not happening so please check out this blog. RantWoman is having fun thinking about this contest. That is the main thing.

PS. There is a question in the application form about how comfortable one is being on camera. RantWoman can manage. RantWoman has other thoughts about whether one is supposed to be good or bad at social media in general, but the application does not ask that.

Stay tuned for some of RantWoman's favorite YouTube channels.

Again with the IcelandAir really bad photographer contest: some requirements!

A very sunny day

Really bad photographer | Icelandair US 

The basic gig: 10 days of travel all travel expenses paid with $50,000 to cover, as RantWoman understands it, gear and whatever one needs for a trip.

For more detail about the gig: 

This is who we're seeking:

• You must be able to take part in physical outdoor activities and adventures
• You must be comfortable hiking and navigating uneven terrain in spectacular landscapes

M'kayyy RantWoman has the impression there is plenty to do in Iceland for people with different levels of tolerance for physical activity, but um...

RantWoman has never had the body to, say, work as an underwear model. RantWoman has grey hair and arthritis that comes and goes. In other words, RantWoman is in a NOT QUITE senior citizen demographic that may or may not be the best fit for what is needed. But every time RantWoman hits something that might talk herself out of even applying, amother voice comes up and says just apply and see...

So to make this trip work, RantWoman might need to think about how to have a trainer or a massage practitioner on speed dial. RantWoman also imagines that well broken-in shoes will be a must.

The initial application does not mention anything like overnight camping. If that is on the agenda RantWoman is going to need some kind of solar powered battery to support a number of devices.

Spectacular landscapes sound glorious. RantWoman also has enough vision and has lived around enough mountains to be really interested in the task of writing good alt text or creating meaningful tactile representations of gorgeous views.

Another fun thing: RantWoman is poking around for some background. Simple well-behaved websites are making RantWoman SO happy.

Will RantWoman actually apply...or will RantWoman just go for more vicarious online experience...?

Stay tuned and in the meantime, check out the video and channel linked below.

ICELAND TRAVEL TIPS FOR 1ST TIMERS | 40+ Must-Knows Before Visiting + What NOT to Do!

Pickled Greenland shark for breakfast?

Window trees building clouds

Contest Reminder:  

Really bad photographer | Icelandair US

When RantWoman travels, RantWoman likes to immerse herself in local cuisine, culture, and history as well as geography. Consider the question, delivered to Gemini "what do people in Iceland eat for breakfast?" 

At home RantWoman cycles among homemade porridge of the week, cold pizza, and sometimes other leftovers, often with a banana or hard-boiled egg.

Thank you Gemini, sort of. Submitting the question in natural language is cool. Here are a couple snippets from the first screen of results.

Why you should be eating an Icelandic breakfast

(summary: the basic low-fat, high-fiber, high protein regimen recommended in many places.

I tried a traditional Icelandic breakfast, and it was nothing short of intense — especially when the fermented shark hit the table. From creamy skyr, fresh rye bread, and liver pâté, to the infamous hákarl (a national dish made from fermented Greenland shark), this meal is unlike any breakfast I’ve had before. It’s all part of the unique and bold food culture of Iceland. #IcelandFood #IcelandBreakfast #TraditionalIcelandicFood #Hákarl #Skyr | Strictly Dumpling | Facebook

Thank you Gemini? 

Porridge or muesli? Checks out.

Good yogurt? checks out.

Rye bread or rye crisp: RantWoman likes both fine.

Pickled Greenland shark? RantWoman likes pickled herring on flatbread but does not eat it very often. As for Greenland shark...? 

How I Learned to Eat Fermented Shark with Iceland ProCruises - Food, Wine & Travel

So definitely a bit more of a big deal than mere pickled herring. RantWoman is fascinated to learn more about Greenland sharks. RantWoman also hopes that pickled Greenland shark is not an every day menu item.

As for Gemini

1. RantWoman is still not sold on Gemini offering to "help" abut email.

2. RantWoman appreciates getting info from multiple platforms but is lazy about wanting to sign in or even to read user agreements for these same platforms, especially since one BIG driver of whether RantWoman is going to come back to a site or portal is how easy it is for RantWoman to use. This is probably a trial and error iterative process. Most of the time RantWoman can live with that except RantWoman tends to want info NOW and in easily digestible form.

But speaking of easily digestible, RantWoman will check out other meal customs another time.

Help Open a daycare in the SanLuis Valley of CO

This unabashed fundraiser post is halfway in memory of RantMom. RantMom ran licensed home day cares both in CO and for a shorter time in MT. RantWoman is just posting the fundraiser link rather than try anything fancy with visuals because RantWoman does not want technical imperfections to get in the way of the story.

Help Us Open the Doors for 150 Kids in Rural CO | ColoradoGives.org

The San Luis valley is east of where RantMom grew up and east of where the Rant Family lived, there are a couple family road trips to Alamosa to hang out with a music professor colleague of RantDad's. There used to be a zoo that had at least one resident camel. RantWoman remembers visiting during snowy weather and thinking about all the harsh climates where camels work.

There. Just check out the fundraiser and do it before May 1 if possible.

But, but, do blind people really do photography? Sure. Now take me to the volcanoes

Which details
are not in the Alt text and / or
should just be cropped

 

Still a few days left to enter the IcelandAir "Really bad photographer" contest, and RantWoman is trying to demonstrate unique skills.

RantWoman again encourages everyone who might be intrigued or even just slightly interested to read the contest guidelines.

Really bad photographer | Icelandair US

But, but RantWoman keeps talking about vision loss and accessibility mixed in with bad photography commentary.

Yep. Plenty of visually impaired and blind people are very interested in photography, both as a craft and as something essential for documenting  realities of daily life that Need To Be Dealt with. Lots of people in the blindness community get very good at describing our wildly varying visual experiences. Readers who need some RantWoman perspective, please consider checking out the Death By Powerpoint topics.

But, But this adventure sounds like it might involve a lot of outdoor activity and Ambassador Thwack the Badly Behaved White Cane and Anger management consultant has a thing or two to say.

Thwack may have a thing or two to say but RantWoman is in charge. Would RantWoman pursue some sighted guide options? Will RantWoman rely on AI or call-in services? RantWoman will be interested to know what is available in Iceland. Plus, RantWoman wonders how much choice a person will have about where to visit....

RantWoman, do you actually know anyone in Iceland?

RantWoman does not know anyone in Iceland but does know a very wise accessibility hero originally from Iceland. RantWoman met this person a long time ago at the sort of mentoring event where people with different life timeliness and blindness experiences get together to network, share perspectives.

These days, RantWoman encounters this person from Iceland on the internet. He turns up in online demos of people using screen readers, text to speech tools that enable blind users to navigate around the Internet, or at least to do so better than without screen readers. One reality of screen reader use is the playback speed of the speech. RantWoman tends to fall asleep when listening too long to normal speed screen reader speech and runs her own screen reader quiite a bit faster. However, many blind people working in tech or finance can be found on the internet demonstrating screen reader speeds a lot faster than RantWoman.

Please note: a screen reader is not the only thing necessary for online accessibility: websites, apps, portals all need to be developed with some standard features to ensure that screen reader users can find and operate the same functions as other users, some of whom might have other accessibility concerns. The people and organizations who do this right are truly accessibility heroes.

The real reason RantWoman considers this acquaintance a hero: RantWoman's most recent Google search turned up a LinkedIn profile showing a job at a large financial services organization and lots of  connections to other names widely recognized in the online accessibility world. These are the people who not only persist in their work in their own organizations but also insure that organizational websites work for the likes of RantWoman who just wants things to work so she can do other things sighted people take for granted, in this case including managing whatever earnings there will be for 10 days of work after one figures out what all expenses to take on to make the trip a success.

And for fun some erupting volcano videos for different perspective than the pacific coast subduction zone

25 million M3 of Magma on Hold by Grindavik - Earthquakes in South Iceland

Iceland Magma Is Primed, But When Will It Erupt? Geologist Analysis

Iceland Is On Fire

Iceland: Fourth and strongest volcanic eruption in three months | DW News

Wildfire Prepared Homes designation now available in WA

RantWoman is not sure who in her network might appreciate this information but is posting it here. 

Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety

IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home designations now available in Washington | Office of the Insurance Commissioner

Bad photographer cred?

 

Again with the tree photo
this time basically
at the crack of dawn

Still a few days left to enter the IcelandAir "Really bad photographer" contest, and RantWoman is trying to demonstrate quirky skills.

RantWoman again encourages everyone who might be intrigued or even just slightly interested to read the contest guidelines.

Really bad photographer | Icelandair US

The contest does not want anyone who has ever done professional photography. Do the following comments mean RantWoman might be over-qualified? 

Part of the instructions ask for a one-minute video about a bad photography experience that still turned out well. There is also the part about other skills. One of RantWoman's skills is going on at length. Hence the multiple blog posts.

First Prize in the 4H photography category at the county fair: there were no other entries. 

This happened decades ago at an age when RantWoman officially could see enough with glasses to maybe do decent photos. RantWoman remembers giving a speech about sewing. RantWoman may have entered some baked goods. But the blue ribbon went to an album of black and white photos. RantWoman has long since lost the actual album but remembers that it was in black and white. Some of the composition was less than perfect, though RantWoman also remembers at least one shot of one of the town mountains that she really liked

The fambly reunions:

RantMom, may she rest in peace, and her siblings had a tradition, after their kids were grown and everyone was on less tenuous financial footing. of getting together every couple years with at least a few at a time of the cousin generation. So there RantWoman was recently looking at photos ahead of RantMom's memorial. Quite a bit of the time, RantWoman found herself thinking "who are theese people and why can't anyone take decent photographs? RantWoman can tell that photographs of people standing with light behind them in front of various forms of scenery do not do justice either to the people or to the scenery. Does that observation already make her overqualified for the contest? The memories are FUN regardless.

The cat and the disposable camera. 

While RantWoman was trying to land on her feet after her midlife vision-related DNA kicked in, RantWoman signed up for a workshop series called "Getting involved in your Neighborhood." Part of the project involved handing RantWoman a disposable camera with instructions to document one's surroundings. Very funny. RantWoman really could not even locate the camera viewfinder and took a few pictures just by framing the camera based on externam things she used to orient the camera. The Queen of Meow, RantWoman's cat overlord at the time liked to jump up onto the railing of the balcony across from RantWoman's apartment. To RantWoman's surprise, a couple of RantWoman's cat photos showed the Queen of Meow proudly strolling along the railing, oblivious to the 4-floor drop to the patio.

The incision at the bottom of RantWoman's neck.

Scroll forward a couple decades. Add a smartphone so theoretically RantWoman can better use her limited vision to frame the photos at least a little better. Oh, but wait: a new task. Recently RantWoman had a surgery related to a different strand of DNA lotto. The surgery involved a small incision at the base of RantWoman's neck, sealed up with surgical glue and steri strips. RantWoman lives alone and cannot really see into the mirror to monitor healing. RantWoman an also has a smart phone that attempts to tell her how to capture her face. RantWoman did not want to capture her face. RantWoman wanted to capture her incision as it healed. To do that RantWoman basically had to ignore the instructions offered. RantWoman probably would have been able to tell if she were developing a raging infection without photos. Luckily, RantWoman has a coupe people in her life willing to receive daily photos and comment on the evolving color palette. The doctor was impressed at the follow-up visit.

The daily tree motif

RantWoman's apartment looks out on a tree, actually more than one tree. RantWoman does daily tree photos more or less just for fun. RantWoman is not preoccupied about the quality, composition, contrast of the photos. RantWoman's task is to write alt text for the photos. Alt text is description used by screen reader users to describe content of photos. Nowadays, a lot of platforms have AI which automatically does a mediocre job. RantWoman's efforts are also possibly inadequate. Sometimes the descriptions include details like the building in the background or the plants growing on the window ledge or some observation about weather conditions. There is some dance of messing with AI, attempting to improve on AI, and meditation about how much description is just right for different situations. Does RantWoman just have weird ideas of fun?

Icelandair bad Photographer Contest

One of RantWoman's
daily tree(s) photos

There are only a few days left to enter the IcelandAir "Really bad photographer" contest.

RantWoman encourages everyone who might be intrigued or even just slightly interested to read the contest guidelines.

Really bad photographer | Icelandair US

The only small accessibility blip: Must be able to interact and choose one of 5 emojis to respond to one of the questions.

Need some tips?

• Just be yourself, no script needed.

• Share any other skills you have other than being bad at photography.

• What excites you most about this opportunity?

• Got a memorable photography fail? Tell us about it!

   

So there RantWoman was one night watching volcanic eruption videos, one of RantWoman's fave diversions from other horrors of the current timeline. There was a volcano erupting in Grundjavik for several days. The eruption was the kind of slow meltdown that opened wide features and crept closer and closer to a village until part of the village had to be evacuated. 

That eruption has faded from RantWoman's media streams, but along with the eruption videos YouTube sent RantWoman several videos of things one might do while visiting Iceland. The videos featured a certain amount of rugged hiking, sometimes in rainstorms, as well as ordinary daylife activities such as going to the grocery store or swimming in a completely non-chlorinated geothermally heated pool. 

The rugged hiking sometimes in pouring rain sounds like maybe not the biggest sell, but a possible trip to Iceland in June when days are longest still intrigues RantWoman enough to do a couple posts turning over the idea of entering the contest.

And why the tree motif? STAY TUNED.

Voyager 1 soon to be one light day away from earth

Somehow, no matter how exasperated RantWoman is getting about modern life, this craft travelling out into the universe beyond the reach of earth's sun, based on persistent technology and clever insightful engineering from 50 years ago fills RantWoman with hope and a sense of SOMETHING sustainable.

NEW RECORD! Voyager 1 Breaks the Cosmic Barrier: soon to be one light day away from earth

CO mountain towns: A dream destination for people needing permanent supportive housing?

Full Disclosure: RantWoman has visited, has family connection to, and might consider living in Durango, Crested Butte / Gunnison, Telluride, and Vail. Further reactions on the other side of the video.

Top 10 Colorado Mountain Towns in Total FREEFALL (The Real Estate Disaster)

RantWoman has clearly not been keeping up with the latest in real estate issues in CO. 

It has been more than 50 years since RantWoman and the Rant Fam lived in CO though RantMom still has a couple dozen living cousins, a lot of whom live in CO. 

Irrepressible Nephew, now residing securely in auto company influencer life and off-roading culture, including many destinations in CO, is not likely to land permanently there. 

RantWoman actually still finds the mountains stunningly beautiful. RantWoman even indulges in magical visions involving transportation for non-drivers and solar-powered eco friendly, water minimizing lifestyles. None of that seems remotely feasible in a market banking on short-term visitations by the uber wealthy, but RantWoman is entertaining the idea, if only because snow and sunshine might be more psychically appealing than grey skies and drizzle

Even more visionary, RantWoman is entertained by the thought of all the people living unhoused on the streets of Seattle finding permanent supportive housing in all the underused mansions in CO.

Sorry, city planners. RantWoman knows that idea is probably terrifying. It's also unlikely to come to pass, but please indulge RantWoman in reflections about gigantic wealth gaps and the well-housed of Seattle also being annoyed by the considerably less well-housed.

Admittedly, no matter the destination, it would be a tough sell to persuade people living homeless in many cities to pack up and move to places known for harsh winters, some risk of altitude sickness for people moving from sea level. But could some kind of 21st century neo homesteading movement save at least some of these communities??? Could it work? Are there people on the streets who might, just MIGHT be game to try it...?

Hark: the voice of iceland and Atlantic ocean current cycles.

For everyone tired of many forms of politics and enchanted by more slowly evolving disasters.

“A Global Climate Disaster Is Coming… And Iceland Just Sounded the Alarm”

But will there be enough snowpack?

RantWoman will try to come back to the question: how on-target was this forecast?

Here’s How Much Snow You’ll Get This Year…

September Ocotober Events from the Blind Connections newsletter

 Posted as is. 

Note. First event a hearing at Seattle City Council on Friday September 12

What's the news: Library funding

From ACB

Dear Colleagues:

I’d like to share some remarkable news regarding the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). First, after more than five months with little to no communication from the IMLS, in July funding reimbursements from IMLS began again with regularity. This may be because the end of the federal fiscal year is September 30,, 2025 and despite the efforts to defund IMLS as outlined in Executive Order 14238 this funding was previously approved by Congress for museums and libraries across the country. There are also several pending lawsuits regarding this action.

 

On the evening of 9/2/25, the FY2026 budget took a huge step in the right direction for IMLS. The House Appropriations released its version of the FY 2026 budget bill that includes $291.8 million for IMLS. In its version the Senate included $295 million for IMLS funding. This is a $3 million reduction from the previous year but it’s a major turnaround from the President’s budget which included $6 million to shutter the agency.

 

There is still a ways to go. The marked-up version of the bill goes to the full House next Tuesday and then we await the reconciliation of the House and Senate budgets. But this is promising news and we’ll keep you updated as we learn more.

 

Thank you to everyone who took the time over the past few weeks to contact Congress. It has made a difference.

 

What's the event: Seattle urban forest hearing

Seattle’s trees are on the line. On Friday, Sept 12 at 3 p.m., the Seattle City Council will hold a hearing on the comprehensive plan that will shape the future of our urban forest.

Seattle City Hall

  We will bring signs and have talking points.

Two Key Amendments

City Council will soon vote on the comp plan zoning and amendments that could make or break Seattle’s climate resilience. Two key amendments would be huge wins:

•              Amendment 93 → Guarantees greenspace on every lot. Without it, 95% of every lot can be paved, cementing in a future without greenspace or even soil.

•              Amendment 102 → Brings Seattle up to other cities’ tree protection standards (think: NYC, Boston, Portland), closing three glaring loopholes in our tree ordinance.

 

Can’t join us in person? Send an Email to: council@seattle.gov

 

Thank you for caring about Seattle’s irreplaceable urban forest.

 

What's the Event: Paid research opportunity for National Parks

There are two opportunities for paid research assistance with a national park project, via both synchronous focus groups and an asynchronous online survey, coming up in late September and October.

 

Because this is all for the same park, I only can hire each individual for one or the other, a focus group or a survey, so if you are interested, please let me know, and let me know if you want to participate in a focus group (online, via Zoom, for about an hour), or an online survey (asynchronous, I'm guessing this survey also will take about an hour). Or you can say, either, and I can fit you into the one that needs the most help. Because the focus group is synchronous and probably a bit more strenuous, the stipend is higher.

 

Focus Group (15 slots available): ~1 hour, online, synchronous, via Zoom, a discussion of media-accessibility issues related to visiting a national park, stipend: $50.

 

Online survey (30 slots available): ~1 hour, online, asynchronous, via our online uReview system (same as the Description), a discussion of media-accessibility issues related to visiting a national park, stipend: $25.

 

Best wishes,

 

Brett Oppegaard, Ph.D.

He/Him/His

Founder | Executive Director of Access Hound

360-521-8150

brett@accesshound.com

 

What's the event: White Cane Day, October 11.

New White Cane Day merch is here!

We are thrilled to share our 2025 Logo!

This design was submitted by Seattle area artist, Laura Graden-Cotts.

Description: Logo-style illustration within a black circle. In the center, two white canes, on with a red tip one without, are crossed diagonally creating quadrants. Surrounding the canes are four images: a green pine tree at the top, a brown guide dog with a harness on the right, a blue mountain range with snow caps at the bottom, and an orca whale on the left. Below the circle, in bold black text, it says "WHITE CANE DAY" and beneath it, "2025" is written in a thinner font.

 

You can purchase your White Cane Day 2025 merch via Bonfire

 

Purchase soon to ensure your order arrives before the event. Merch will not be available at the event due to logistics.

 

Event Information:

You don't need to join us for White Cane Day 2025 to purchase a shirt, but we'd love to have you!

Registration is highly encouraged: https://shorturl.at/eM1Un

Event Date: Saturday, October 11th 2025

Event Address:

Starting: South Base of the Space Needle near the Howard S. Wright Memorial Fountain: 400 Broad St, Seattle, WA 98109

Ending: Washington Talking Book and Braille Library (WTBBL): 2021 9th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121

Timeline:

•              9:00 am - 9:50 Arrive at starting place

•              9:50 - Official Group Photo

•              10:00: The Walk begins!

•              10:45 : Speakers at WTBBL

•              1:00pm Event ends

WTBBL will host a reception and a vendor area! Details to come!

We are working to make this event more youth friendly! Stay tuned for more information.

You Cane Give Initiative is sponsoring a cane drive for this event! Wondering what to do with that old cane you no longer use in the closet? Is that drawer of used canes collecting dust and taking up space? Donate your old canes to the “You Cane Give” program. And turn that old cane into newfound independence for individuals in need.

 

Thanks,

White Cane Awareness Network Team

Questions? Ideas! Email us: white.cane.awareness.network@gmail.com

 

What's the Event: Deep Dive conference

The Seattle Cultural Accessibility Consortium (SCAC) invites you to be part of the 3rd Annual Deep Dive Day Conference, happening Thursday, October 16, 2025, at Town Hall Seattle. We are excited to be expanding this year's conference to a day-long convening with a larger space available. We are continuing the theme of Sustaining Accessibility in Challenging Times and our goal is to bring together accessibility champions across the arts and cultural

sector to advance accessibility and inclusion.

Registration for Deep Dive Day will open on September 4! We hope you will attend this

important and fast-growing conference!

With gratitude,

The team at Seattle Cultural Accessibility Consortium (SCAC)

 

What’s the Event: audio described opera

Seattle Opera offers one performance per mainstage opera at McCaw Hall with audio description. Using an infrared headset, patrons who are blind or have low vision can listen to a live, verbal description of actions, costumes, scenery, and other visual elements of a performance. The description begins 10 minutes prior to the start of the performance.

Patrons who wish to listen to the description must pick up a headset. Headsets are distributed free of charge and can be requested ahead of time using our request form. Availability is on a first-come, first-served basis. You may pick up your headset from the assistance booth (around the corner from coat check) located on the main entry level of McCaw Hall. Please ask for a headset with audio description.

The following performances will offer audio description. Description begins at 1:50 PM, ten minutes prior to each of the following 2:00 PM Sunday matinee performances:

·         The Pirates of Penzance—Sunday, October 26

New Protests at UW about Gaza crises

And a comment from Protest Curmudgeon

I am old. I think a VERY urgent message about the humanitarian crisis and ethnic cleansing in Gaza is getting lost. I fear that all the visuals will be dumpster fires and complaints about protestors' clothing choices. I have no patience with voices that clamor "domestic terrorism" in the presence of nonviolent protest. I am also sick of the idea that ANY insistence that Palestinian people have rights terrifies others. Long ago in a university across the country, I organized speakers about a number of topics. The ONLY topic that consistently got bomb threats was Palestinian human rights. Where does anyone imagine THOSE bomb threats came from?

Madow: Hundreds of protests planned as Trump's abuses generate ...

RantWoman still hasn't collected the black pussy hat with pink ears that a friend promised to knit RantWoman for the worldwide women's march at the onset of Trump 1.0 but BOY is RantWoman glad people are willing to take to the streets now.

True confession: RantWoman has a long list of activities she may need to handle instead of rushing out in the pollen and glorious sunshine to stand around in visible outrage. Trust RantWoman on this: RantWoman will still be protesting but probably just no in the streets.

Celebrate (?) Seattle's Infamous Redlining Guide.

Okay, Okay, RantWoman will NOT give in to all the ways one could misread the event title.

Instead, RantWoman VERY much esteems the work the following invitation represents, both diligent research and, as RantWoman can attest, creation of electronic content with lots of great accessibility features.

RantWoman is going to let the rest of the event speak for itself.

Please enjoy the electronic walking tour even if you don't make it to the celebration described below.

Thanks to a grant from 4Culture and support from friends, the new self-guided digital walking tour, Seattle's Infamous Redline Guide is ready for release. It can be downloaded for free from the App Store, Google Play, or on the web.

Please help us celebrate! The celebration takes place Saturday, March 22, 2-4 pm at HOME | Made Space Seattle 

The tour begins with the founding of the Central District by William Grose, through the rise of a vibrant community despite the city's efforts to exclude Black people from land and wealth, and ends at Africatown Plaza and Wa Na Wari with an invitation to join efforts to fight displacement and build Black prosperity. Now more than ever, we need to remember the past as we work for a positive future.

Please come celebrate with us, and spread the word. You can let us know who's coming by clicking the link in the attached invitation

Hope to see you there. I should mention that the venue is wheelchair accessible.

A Couple of Bad Days for Russian Shipping: if you thought parallel parking was hard, try maneuvering an icebreaker alongside a stuck ship and otherphysical and metaphorical rough sea moments

RantWoman has discovered a new and exotic way to distract herself from....

It's a YouTube channel called "What's going on with Shipping" RantWoman may have written of it before, but it's time to do it again.

RantWoman considers the channel an AWESOME go-to for LOTS of different shipping and navigation terminology. Not exactly comprehensively indexed as far as RantWoman knows, but a MASSIVE well of terminology.

The other point: paying attention to all the dimensions of global shipping offers one window into why the heck a certain President is getting expansionist about both Canada and Greenland. Global warming could be a GOOD thing if one wants easier shipping and access to mineral resources in the arctic and doesn't care too much about filling the atmosphere with carbon dioxide from traffic in and burning of fossil fuels.

Enjoy the video. More snark on the other side.

in related news

Putin's Hopes CRUSHED Again! Russia's Most Important Fleet COLLAPSES!

No RantWoman, do not go there. Do not wander further into SCIENCE just because someone on Twitter / X brought up the calving of Antarctic glaciers in the spirit of "all this talk of climate change is a hoax."

A chunk of glacier "the size of Rhode Island" has calved off a glacier in Antarctica. 

RantWoman did not appropriately mark the tweet that referred to a satellite study saying that an incident like that is about average for yearly glacial calving, a point which is only one of the hazards of attempting scientific discussion 280 characters at a time in Elon's sandbox. The other part of the assertion: so no one can blame global warming on someone's SUV's.

Wanna bet?

First, receding glaciers aside, there a TON of urban design and pedestrian safety reasons for a #WarOnCars.

Next, meander back into historical records of the Little Ice Age, sundry volcanic eruptions and patterns of glacial recission all over the planet over recent decades. Do not attempt precise scientific reasoning 280 characters at a time. Do not mention sea level rise or shifting mountain tree lines or...

Then, although RantWoman is desperately seeking escape from any meditation upon the current occupant of the White House, apparently going there is almost inevitable. As long as #DementiaDonOld spouts all kinds of nonscience nonsense, tries to reroute hurricanes with a sharpie, blubbers about bringing prices down... why the heck NOT also blame receding glaciers on a presidential Bad hair day or something?

OK, OK. RantWoma, ENOUGH for tonight. Save further commentary about Elon's sandbox for another evening.

Dear #GOP, if you are not going to help please SHUT UP and get out of the way of people working very hard to cope

#LAWildfires

"This is not a time to make political points. It's time for people to come together and help.

RantWoman knows almost nothing about LA geography. RantWoman is listening to the numbers of people  being evacuated and has realized that, overwhelming and horrifying as the fires and smoke are, on some level the news is only a notch or two above the image the world gets fed when a few blocks of Seattle are taken over by an extended protest.

LA is going to have a tough road to recovery. President Elect Gropesaurus can be expected to be at best worse than useless. So far, he has not shown up to toss paper towels at the problem, but he is trying to promise retribution: refusing to send federal disaster aid, endless chatter in Elon's sandbox about how CA officials should all resign.

#FelonDon will be taking office having scored a whisker less than 50% of the popular vote. Never mind the electoral college: more people want someone else than want him. He probably cannot find an ounce of humility anywhere. It would not distress RantWoman if the barrage of #GOP and #MAGA lies wound up washing the new administration of any shred of legitimacy or popularity. But enough. Find ways to contribute. This really is a disaster and NO ONE should be making things worse.

What if we tear up half our concrete roads???

RantWoman sort of kind of means to write some kind of more or less serious reflection on the anniversary of 9/11, multiple wars somehow related to carbon and lowering carbon emissions, political campaigns, environmental fragility or even devastation, and other topics that make anyone go "Ugh" after awhile. Today though, the RantWoman department of WAY out of the box policy recommendations has been attending to news of Phoenix AZ for a few different reasons.

Recently  KUOW aired a story about a streak of over 100 days where the daytime high temp was over 100 degrees and during that stretch an interval of at least 10 days where the LOW temp overnight did not dip below 90 degrees.

Previously, YouTube brought RantWoman, unbidden, Top 10 reasons to regret moving to Phoenix. RantWoman has formed an image of a city with REALLY A LOT of heat absorbing roadways that probably heat up and stay heated up for long intervals in hot weather.

Suffice it to say, RantWoman has NO desire to move to Phoenix

However, a question wandered through RantWoman's mind: what if someone took a jack hammer to 50 % of the concrete road surface and let native plants take over.

Do alternating streets in each direction pair on the grid. Think how much healthier many people will become if exercise is automatically added to their routine. More importantly, think how much less overheated the city will be with half as much heat retaining concrete.

Okay, okay. This COULD be kind of extreme. For the time being, RantWoman will now resume profound appreciation of cool September temperatures rolling in and leave further wild fantasizing to graduate students, climate specialists, and planners. RantWoman would LOVE to know how the conversations go though..

That was fast:alumni solicitations in 2024

 First RantWoman offers a shout-out and encouragement to every recent college graduate who might be even a little nervous just starting out a public school teaching job, especially a teaching job in one of the tiny rural communities that dot our nation's educational landscape.

RantWoman particularly offers such encouragement on behalf of RantDad. RantDad's first public school teaching job was teaching 7 study halls and band in a TINY town the interstate bypassed not far from Billings MT. The tiny town still exists and a couple years ago sent one of its son to a job trimming RantWoman's hair at Great Clips on Capital Hill. Back to Rant Dad: his calling just out of college was bassoonist in the Billings Symphony. It's just that the study halls and band gig ensured that RantDad would eat and live indoors.

RantWoman wishes to thank the alumni association from RantDad's alma mater for this mental excursion. Today, much to RantMom's surprise, she received an alumni association fundraising letter. Understand, RantDad passed away 29 years ago. RantMom also recently moved and was marveling at the fact that the letter came with her name on it to her new address. In other words, whatever data refresh the alumni association uses is pretty dang efficient.

RantMom was perplexed and a little opinionated. RantWoman is less surprised than if RantMom were receiving alumni solicitations from somewhere neither of the Rant parents attended. Besides this year RantDad would turn 90 if he were still alive. So is that the occasion?

Because this is the internet:

U of WY Alumni Association

Cultural artifact

U of WY alumni songs

and because of other connections

The Laramie chapter of Health Equity Circle